Becoming Muhammad Ali

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. With what annual event do the authors bookend the novel?

A) Tomorrow’s Champions

B) The national Golden Gloves tournament

C) The Louisville Golden Gloves tournament

D) The Olympics

2. Which of the following best describes why Lucky’s role is important, even though he is fictional?

A) He narrates each section and explains the historical context by incorporating memories of growing up in 1950s Louisville.

B) He writes the poems that fill the chapters, showing poetically how Cassius views himself and others.

C) He serves as a reminder that no one will ever know exactly how Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali.

D) He provides an entry point for readers so that they can feel like they grew up knowing Cassius Clay too.

3. How does Cash’s opinion of boxing change over the course of the novel?

A) In the beginning, he sees it as a path to success; by the end, he is worried his son will be injured.

B) In the beginning, he sees it as a distraction; by the end, he is often at Cassius’s fights.

C) In the beginning, he sees it as a path to success; by the end, he believes that he was right.

D) In the beginning, he sees it as a hobby; by the end, he thinks that it is a dangerous waste of time.

4. Which of the following best describes why Cassius wants to succeed at performing the card trick?

A) He wants to emulate Granddaddy Herman, who taught him the trick before his death.

B) He wants to feel smart because he does not do well in school.

C) He wants to make Rudy smile, since he often feels like he is in Cassius’s shadow.

D) He wants to impress Teenie with the card trick.

5. Why is it ultimately lucky that Cassius’s bike is stolen?

A) Without it being stolen, Cassius would never have gotten a chance to fight Corky.

B) Without it being stolen, Cassius would never have gotten an electric scooter.

C) Without it being stolen, Cassius would never have started boxing.

D) Without it being stolen, Cassius would have taken up baseball instead.

6. What recurring advice does Cassius receive about his boxing?

A) That he needs to move like a dancer

B) That he needs to stop fighting larger opponents

C) That he needs to be patient

D) That he needs to keep his hands up

7. What about Cassius’s behavior suggests that he’s frustrated when Rudy tells him that Teenie and Riney are dating?

A) He says that he is frustrated.

B) He makes Rudy get more information from Riney.

C) He becomes angry, threatening to fight Riney.

D) He brushes him off, saying that he needs to concentrate.

8. Why is Emmett Till’s death so jarring for Cassius?

A) Till was close to Cassius’s age, so it makes the danger of racism more real for Cassius.

B) Till was a friend of Cassius’s.

C) Till had been training to be a professional boxer and was killed over a mistake.

D) Till struggled to fight against the racism he experienced, so it makes Cassius nervous for his own future.

9.  Which of the following best describes the narrative function of Poem 102, “The Next Few Years,” which moves through several years of Cassius’s life at once?

A) It serves as the climax of the novel.

B) It works as rising action, building tension as Cassius prepares for the Golden Gloves.

C) It helps move the plot forward by covering a lot of time at once.

D) It covers the falling action of the novel, as the tension disperses and the novel comes to a conclusion.

10. What can be inferred about Corky from the fact that he gave up during his fight with Cassius?

A) He has secretly been training with Joe Martin.

B) He is all talk and can’t back up his threats while in the ring.

C) He has looked up to Cassius since the beginning.

D) He would like to become a professional boxer.

11. Which of the following best describes the goal of this novel?

A) To show that Cassius’s youth laid the foundation for who he became as Muhammad Ali

B) To illustrate Cassius’s path to joining the Nation of Islam

C) To demonstrate that boxing is a valid career choice for students who struggle in school

D) To prove that Cassius became a boxer because his red bicycle was stolen

12. What idea about Black history is exemplified by the fact that the police turned off the camera when Jack Johnson was fighting Tommy Burns?

A) Black history is the same as American history, so moments when Black people excel do not need to be recorded.

B) Black history is often left out of textbooks.

C) Black history is usually remembered by family members rather than being taught in classrooms.

D) Black history is often purposely not recorded so that it cannot be preserved.

13. What is the real reason that Lucky was not there when Muhammad Ali passed away, even though they were best friends?

A) Lucky was stuck outside of the country because his flight was delayed.

B) Lucky was estranged from Ali at that point.

C) Lucky is a fictional character.

D) Lucky didn’t want to see his friend die.

14. How is Cassius and Rudy’s conversation about having the army as a backup plan an example of foreshadowing?

A) Cassius mentions that he would never fight in the army, and he later refuses to enlist when he is drafted.

B) Rudy is eventually drafted into the army.

C) Cassius ends up enlisting when his boxing career does not immediately take off.

D) Rudy continues to encourage Cassius to join the army, and it becomes a source of tension between the brothers.

15. What does Lucky’s conclusion that Ali “was also a true and loyal friend. That’s what I’ll remember most” emphasize about the boxer?

A) That he and Lucky were best friends

B) That he never forgot where he came from

C) That he remained in Louisville until his death

D) That he stayed in touch with his friend his whole life

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Choose one allusion that Cassius makes to another historical figure and describe the significance of that allusion.

2. Would you consider 1950s Louisville an antagonist? Why or why not?